captain coulston

CAPTAIN COULSTON

You landsmen all on you I callYou heroes stout and braveThat are inclined to cross the seasYour homelands now to leaveCome join with Captain CoulstonThat hero stout and boldWho fought his way all on the seaAnd never was controlled

We sailed away from LiverpoolThe weather being fineBound for New York City boysIt was our chief's designWe being all Irish emigrantsThe truth to you I'll tellWho in distress our homes had leftAnd to Ireland bid farewellOn the evening of the 25thour captain he did cryClear away the deck me boysFor a strange sail I do spyAnd all you Irish emigrantsAwake now from your sleepFor in a few more hours me boysYou'll be slumbering in the deepFor a pirate ship is a-coming downJust from the Western SeaFor to rob us of our propertyGoing to Amerikay

Oh the pirate ship came up to usAnd ordered us to standYour gold and precious cargoThis moment I demandYour gold and precious cargoResign to me this dayFor one living soul you'll never bringUnto Amerikay

Then up and spoke our captainWith voice both loud and boldSaying we will slumber in the deepBefore we'll be controlledBefore that we'll surrenderOur property to theeWe'll fight like Irish hearts of oaksAnd gain the victory

So the battle it commencedAnd the firing did beginThey wounded the captain's mateAnd killed two of his menBut our Irish boys were valiant and boldAnd our canons loud did roarAnd we killed ten of the pirate menAnd turned them overboardOh the cries of women and childrenAs in the hold they layAnd our captain and his gallant crewThey showed an Irish playThe captain's wife she came on deckSaying I'll soon end this strifeAnd with a pistol ball she tookThe pirate captain's life

And it's to conclude and finishThe truth I'll tell to youOh we never lost a single manExcepting one ore twoAnd the pirate ship surrenderedJust at the break of dayAnd we brought her as a prisonerUnto Amerikay

-------------------------------------------------------recorded by Andy Irvine/Dick Gaughan on "Parallel Lines" (1981) and ina slightly shorter version by Steeleye Span on "Ten Man Mop" (1971)Andy notes: "Can it really be that pirates would lay in wait for povertystricken emigrant ships sailing to the new world? Captain Coulston's wifewas well able for them anyway. I heard this from the great Brigid Tunneythe best singer I ever heard and filled out the story from a longer versionsung by Peter Donnelly of Castle Caulfield, Co. Tyrone."

Steeleye also name Brigid Tunney as their source.

This song probably originated as just a pirate ballad and was turned intoan emigration ballad in the 19th century, which explains theslightly confused story.